Ottawa Caterer Reviews??

I’m hoping there are still some of you out there to help me out a bit! We have booked our venue for this upcoming August and now I’m working on finding a caterer!

I’m wondering if anyone has had any experience, good or bad, with Prinzo Catering or Bytown Catering. I haven’t really seen Prinzo mentioned anywhere, and I would LOVE to hear from anyone who has experienced an event catered by either of these two.

If you have any other caterer recommendations in the Ottawa area, I’m open to those too!

I am in the same boat, looking for Ottawa caterer reviews. My venue has a list of 5 caterers, Bytown was one of them. I have heard good things about their food, but have been cautioned that they are very minimal in terms of presentation, service, etc. The estimate they provided me was very low, but missing information such as charge for servers, linens, etc. I am curious to compare it when I get my next two quotes (Tulips & Maple, Thyme & Again). Have heard nothing about Prinzo, sorry!

@Lolita86: We’re going with Bytown. They’re reasonable and apparently the portion sizes are very big. The venue suggested them because they have a lot of experience with outdoor weddings. I’ve had Tulips and Maple food – fantastic! Good luck with your research and let us know who you choose.

We are going with Bytown Catering. I actually asked about the server and linens when I got my quote and any other “random charges” that might occur. Apparently the linen rental is simply factored into the cost of the meal – I wouldn’t call it free, but it’s included. if you want to upgrade linens, my understanding is there is a fee for that. The server fee is the 15% service charge you see on the quote.

The reason we went with Bytown is because I have already sampled their food, so I know what to expect. My office uses them occasionally to cater for customer meetings, so I’ve been able to sample a wide variety of menu options over the last few years.

Thanks so much! I have been having a bit of a hard time getting a hold of someone at Bytown but im hoping to set up a meeting with them soon! We met with Prinzo last weekend and are just waiting to receive our quote.

We were impressed with Prinzo when we first met with Sheila back in the summer, and just signed the contract in December after checking several references and having two tastings. We just found out yesterday that Sheila has left the company as of this month and the “homemade, fresh” pasta that we were sold on is now going to be subcontracted out! I’d ask some very probing questions before hiring Prinzo, and definitely get references from clients who have had one of the current owners managing their event (I think it would have to be an event held January 2013 or later).

@Lolita86: Just to clarify, I don’t think Sheila was one of the owners; she was the catering manager, and I think she was the one managing most events for the past year or so. All the references we spoke to raved about her, so that is why I think it’s important to find out how her replacement will measure up.

Hi! New poster, was hoping there were ladies still interested in weighing in on this thread! we are looking for a caterer for our summer wedding and will probably go with Bytown. My concern is that while the quote has come in at almost half of another one there must be something behind it, whether the quality of food, hidden costs, service. Or they just are able to offer low prices due to an economy of scale?

Anyways for those who have used Bytown were you pleased? Any surprises? Or those that went with a more expensive caterer do you think it was worth the extra expense?

i went with bytown for my wedding last August and I was so pleased!! The food was good, and the service was amazing! Many guests commented to me that the servers were awesome. I was very impressed as the catering team on the wedding day were able to sort things out on their own and solve some last minute issues without needing my attention. i would definitely recommend them 🙂

@riverbride: Hi, I just saw your post asking about Bytown – we used them for our wedding in June 2013 and they were phenomenal. The food was not only delicious but the staff was able to accomodate all the different meal options/allergies we had with no problems (everyone got the right meal!). I did not get to try the hors d’oeuvres we had chosen, but everyone who had them told me they were delicious.

I’d also say the staff had lots of patience – in between courses we were up and around chatting with our guests and the main server would always discretely come tell me they were almost ready to serve the next course and ask me when we’d be ready for it.

Also, Bytown was one of the few caterers who was willing to easily accomodate our bar plan – free drink for each guest, toonie bar and free non-alcoholic beverages. They also were quick to get some of our guests something non-alcoholic to toast with when everyone else had champagne and wine.

As for hidden costs, there were none. What we saw on the quote was what we paid 🙂

We are interested in Bytown catering for our July 2016 wedding. Has anyone used them recently? A lot can change in 2-3 years. My friend used them back in 2012 and was happy but I’ve read some reviews that weren’t stellar. We met with Prinzo’s Catering last week and were not impressed with the customer service. They were not willing to work with us at all to customize a menu. They had 2 options and that’s it. Also, the woman discouraged us quite a bit and made us feel on edge instead of at ease. Needless to say, we’re still looking.